Design Engineering Manager
Salary

Average pay for Design Engineering Managers in the United States is more than reasonable, with annual salaries pushing past the six-figure mark ($105K). With some bonuses approaching $20K and certain profit sharing proceeds approaching $15K, overall incomes of Design Engineering Managers spread between $70K and $150K depending on individual performance. Geographic location and experience level each impact pay for this group, with the former having the largest influence. Job satisfaction for Design Engineering Managers is high. Almost all report receiving medical coverage from their employers and a large number collect dental insurance. The data in this summary comes from the PayScale salary survey.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

Common Career Paths for Design Engineering Manager

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Design Engineering Managers who transition into VPs of Engineering are few and far between. The job pays an average $153K per year. With an annual salary of $136K, Director of Engineering is the most common role for Design Engineering Managers to subsequently assume on their way up the ladder. Transitioning into a Civil Engineer role — which usually pays $60K — is also typical for Design Engineering Managers, though less common by comparison.

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Popular Skills for Design Engineering Manager

This chart shows the most popular skills for this job and what effect each skill has on pay.

Design Engineering Managers seem to require a rather large skill set. Most notably, skills in Product Development, People Management, Project Management, and Project are correlated to pay that is above average. Those listing AutoDesk as a skill should be prepared for drastically lower pay. AutoCAD and SolidWorks also typically command lower compensation. Most people skilled in Engineering Design are similarly competent in Product Development.

Pay by Experience Level for Design Engineering Manager

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

Design Engineering Managers with more experience do not necessarily bring home bigger paychecks. In fact, experience in this field tends to impact compensation minimally. People who have worked for fewer than five years earn around $81K, and folks with five to 10 years of experience see a modestly higher median of $91K. After one to two decades on the job, professionals can reap plentiful salaries that average out to the six-figure sum of $107K. In the end, the overall pattern seems to be that more experience generally corresponds to higher pay; a Design Engineering Manager with more than 20 years of experience can earn $121K on average.

Pay Difference by Location

For Design Engineering Managers, Santa Clara provides a pay rate that is 49 percent greater than the national average. Design Engineering Managers will also find cushy salaries in San Jose (+44 percent), San Diego (+31 percent), Detroit (+19 percent), and Greenville (+13 percent). Denver is the lowest-paying area, 10 percent south of the national average. Not at the bottom but still paying below the median are employers in Los Angeles and Minneapolis (6 percent lower and 4 percent lower, respectively).